Sunday afternoon

The month of June is a special time when Håkan & Gunilla have, in various ways, been important in our lives. When I came to Fristaden in 1991, we had all our children’s and youth camps in June, as well as the Midsummer Conference, which still is an annual happening, as you well know. In 1993, Håkan baptized me, and in 1997, he and Gunilla married us. Thank God for all of that!

Today, on our 12th anniversary, we have had the privilege – for the first time since the end of February – to meet Håkan. The last thing Håkan and I spoke about the 26th of February was missions, foreign outreaches and the importance of appreciating each other and what God is doing in the congregation. There’s always a risk that we become blind to what we have and take things for granted.

Suddenly Håkan said, ”Thus says the Spirit of the Lord: A time will come when we are apart from each other for such a long time that we will begin to long for and really deeply miss each other.” Who would have believed then that he spoke prophetically about something that would take place just a couple of days later? What a shock it was when the phone rang early on that Tuesday morning! In some way, this has given me strength anyway. Sometimes it becomes so clear that Jesus holds everything in his hands. He says, “No one can be more secure.”

Håkan’s birthday is on Tuesday and we left a CD with Josh Groban where he sings, among others, the song, ”You raise me up” (Rolf Lovland):

“You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up... To more than I can be.”

We continue together to lift up the Gniste family and their relatives in our prayers. We even believe that Håkan and Gunilla’s important ministry will continue and also become even more powerful.

Håkan asked us to greet you all and say that there will probably be a new operation on Wednesday, where they will transplant skin to some sores on his back which aren’t healing well. Please pray that everything goes well!

A praise report that Håkan shared is that he was outside for the first time yesterday. One of the nurses took him in a wheelchair down to the main entrance, around the corner, and in again through the back door. Other than the transportation from Linköping, this was his first chance to get outside. We understood that that meant a lot to him and he rejoiced over that.

After almost an hour it was time for dinner and we could contribute with a little dessert – a few strings of wild strawberries that the kids had picked. We left Håkan for the day, but we bear with us the memory of a nice time of fellowship.

Be blessed! Have a nice summer!

Mats (on the keyboard) & Sarah Samuelson, Uddevalla

Håkan’s first telephone call!

Here comes a greeting from England. We had bought tickets to England before the fire. Håkan and I were going to go to a conference center, a monastery in the country. We would be with leaders from different countries in Europe for a few days before going to Basingstoke, to be a part of leaders’ days, along with a good sized group of others from Sweden, who have taken the same leaders’ course over the internet as other leaders in Europe, for the past 2 years.

Håkan and I planned to take our youngest teenagers, Amelie and Bella, with us. They would take care of Nicole and Nova, Johanna and Daniel’s kids and our grandchildren, while we were at the leaders’ days, and then we would have a vacation in England, see London, etc.

We decided to make the trip as planned, and now I’m sitting here in England and I’m so thankful that we did it according to plans.

To meet all these good Christian brothers and sisters that we have here, who have stood with us in prayer for Håkan and us in these difficult times. My heart has been touched several times these days. Their love, their hugs, their tear filled eyes when they tell what Håkan has meant to them and that they have followed along through the blog and email these months.

What a mighty God we have. We are a part of something much bigger, with friends and siblings all over the world. That this blog can be a tool for information about Håkan, that makes it possible for many to travel along with us on the journey we’re taking with Håkan.

We made up a schedule, where different friends and relatives go to Sahlgrenska every day so that Håkan will get one visit per day during the time we are here. The day before yesterday, Gunnar was there. That was the same day that the doctors operated on Håkan’s left eye, so he was a little tired, but satisfied.

Yesterday, Arne and Fouad – the demolition guys in our house – were there, so they got to tell Håkan how far they had come with the house. Peter was also there for the visit. Right now, we can stand in the kitchen and see down to the cellar, or look up and see all the way up to the roof, past the second floor and the attic – a strange feeling – but it will be nice when it’s finished, sometime in the spring next year.

Today, I have spoken with Håkan on the phone, from here in England – what a feeling! Imagine that Håkan has taken another step, that he can pick up the telephone with his hands, answer it, and hold it throughout the conversation – what a wonder!

All these small steps put together with all the miracles make us so thankful to the living God that He is with us in everything. Day by day, He bears us, and gives Håkan the love of life he needs to be motivated to fight for his return to the life he’s meant to live.

Thank you for all your prayers and kind thoughts… ”Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD…”

Bless you!!
Hugs!
Gunilla

First visit in Gothenburg from Småland the 20th of June

Finally, we from Småland could drive up together to visit Håkan. It was Rebecca’s, Lillan’s and Kenneth’s first visit to Håkan in Gothenburg.

We came just as Gunilla should go. She had been with Håkan a while and spoken about her upcoming trip to England.

We were so glad to see how well everything was going for Håkan – the healing and strength in his body that is starting to come back through laborious exercise. It is wonderful to see how he is going into recovery with such energy. For the first time, he raised himself up in bed and ate his dinner. We all applauded. The nurse said that Håkan was fantastic – Håkan smiled.

Naturally, he gets tired after a workout and he needs to rest after sitting up a couple of hours. So, I was happy to help my brother get from the chair back to bed.

Håkan has, of course, always liked brass music, so Kenneth brought along a brass CD with marches that Håkan recognized. He even explained how some of the marches originated and what they contained.

We noticed also how important it is for Håkan to be able to talk to his relatives, so there was a lot of general conversation. And that is something he needs. A little joking, mixed with seriousness.

The whole time, Psalm 23 lies in the background as a trusted message to us all.

Lillan/pg

Greetings from Håkan

Håkan sends his greetings to all you English speakers! Click on the black box to the right to listen to a greeting from Håkan. When you’re finished, click on the small text just above the box to close the window and return to the blog.

Blessings,
Jan

Only Jesus!

”Håkan, a person like you, at your age, shouldn’t have survived this. It must mean that you have more to do down here.” What a powerful encouragement Håkan got this Midsummer.

Naturally, Håkan would have liked to have been with us for the Midsummer Conference in Uddevalla, but the greetings he sent touched us all. Imagine that Håkan can speak now, and every day that passes, he grows stronger and stronger. You can listen to Håkan’s summer greetings if you like.

Yesterday was our 34th wedding anniversary and I drove down to Sahlgrenska to visit Håkan between a children’s meeting and the evening meeting. Håkan was curious about how the Midsummer Conference was going, so I got to share with him, and he rejoiced over the report. It was of course a partial report – he should have been there yesterday evening when all the youth went forward for prayer, but we’ll have to tell him about that.

Håkan has been out in the hall walking with his walker – talk about a partial victory! His face is healing more and more. His mouth is so nice now that I could kiss him on the lips – what a feeling!

When Mark Erickson from Finland visited Håkan, together with Janne, he asked Håkan if he had something to say to us, and Håkan answered right away, ”Only Jesus!”

I agree – ”Only Jesus!” When I look back and think about everything that has happened these past months, it all becomes one big ”Thank you, Jesus!”

Prayer requests:
This week they will fix the left eye.
Later they will operate on Håkan’s back.

Thank you for all prayer – you have a big part, with your prayers, in that Håkan is alive today and is getting better and better. We can all say, “Thank you, Jesus!” and “Only Jesus!” That is so great!

God bless you!
Hugs,
Gunilla

It’s fantastic

Today Samuel and I had to drive up to Gothenburg to arrange something, so we took the opportunity to visit Håkan at the same time. There we met Johanna and Dave T, who had been there a little while before we came.

Håkan was in a very good mood after the eyelid operation he had yesterday. He didn’t need any protection for the left eye, and it seemed he could see fairly well. The eye hasn’t got used to seeing longer distances yet, but it will come.

Imagine that the brothers got to help Håkan come up to a sitting position. It’s a big strain every time he tries to do something, because he hasn’t really started using his muscles yet. It’ll take a lot of training.

The other thing we experienced was seeing Håkan feed himself for the second time today. They count how many times he has the strength to raise the fork to his mouth. In the morning he managed 4 times, but when we came and he should eat again, he managed 7 times. The nurse thought he was fantastic, and we understood what a great strain it was for Håkan to do something that we take for granted.

All progress is going so quickly now and we are thankful to God that He is present in everything.

We siblings thank you all for your prayers. We see how everything is healing so well and how Håkan is getting stronger day by day.

So, continue to pray for Håkan.

PG

Secretary’s and sister-in-law’s first visit to Sahlgrenska

Today was our first visit to Sahlgrenska. Jakob was there when we came, helping Håkan with his dinner, so we arrived just in time for dessert, with rhubarb pie and coffee! The nurse asked if we were having a party, and we answered that we were celebrating Håkan’s “name day”, two days late. We had a fantastic visit with Håkan. He was alert and on the ball. He even asked me if I (Jan) had any questions for him, just like he usually asks. I answered, “Yes, a bunch of them, but we can save them for later!”

Lotta read from Håkan’s favorite prayer book, among other things, Psalm 118 – it fit perfectly! When Håkan started getting tired, we finished our visit with prayer, and took Jakob with us back to Uddevalla.

Håkan asked for prayer tomorrow morning at 8:30 am, when they will operate on his other eyelid, with only a local anesthetic. Pray that everything goes well and heals nicely.

“The right hand of the LORD is exalted: the right hand of the LORD doeth valiantly. I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD.” Ps. 118:16-17

Secretary Jan and sister-in-law Lotta

The one hundred fifth day

Today, Dave Tidy and I visited Håkan. Mohammed was there and had bought t-shirts for Håkan. He’s so thoughtful.

Håkan is glad to be at Sahlgrenska. He thinks the staff is good in every way. Today he had been bathed and redressed. The greatest news was that Håkan had been able to stand up and take a few steps for the first time since the fire. With the help of a “walker-chair”, he can carefully start exercising to get the strength back in his legs.

Håkan says that Psalm 23 means so much to him, and that he is often in other places in his prayers. He also says that God is speaking to him in a new way about leadership, that he wants to work with in the future. He hasn’t given up, but there is an eagerness to see God’s work grow and he listens intensively to the different reports we give from different directions. He asks how it’s going with the renovation of the house and how it’s going for Gunilla and the family in the apartment.

We had a nice time of prayer together. Dave, as an old friend of Håkan’s, could minister to him deeply.

Afterward, I’m so encouraged when I think about how we’ve prayed from the words in Acts 14:19-20, where they think that Paul is dead, but when the disciples gather around him, just like we’ve gathered around Håkan in prayer, Paul raises himself up and goes into his mission. Today, Håkan got to raise himself up on his own for the first time since the fire.

We have prayed for Håkan, in Uddevalla, Bohuslän and the ends of the earth. The blog is visited by an average of 500 people per day from different parts of the world. We continue to pray.

A precious time with a precious friend.

Janne Sääf

God is good – all the time!

Our trips to Kenya are filled with tension. We never really know what will happen, but certain things recur every trip, for example, “God is good – all the time!” When we hear several thousand Kenyans rejoicing before God and shouting “God is good – all the time!” there’s something that happens inside of us. We, in the west, have a lot to learn – things that were so obvious in Sweden in the previous generation.

To be able to rejoice over little things, see God’s goodness through everything. He never changes – things we go through change, but ”God is good – all the time!” The nice thing is that if we can live in that, we change and something good comes out of every situation we go through.

Much good can come out of everything that Håkan and we, as a family, are going through now, if we speak out, ”God is good – all the time!” I don’t know how many times that, as I’ve said it quietly inside myself, something of God’s greatness has become even more visible.

For several months, I’ve existed in a quiet thankfulness, over the fact that we all came out, that we all are alive, and that prayer has been there. Now, as Håkan is getting better and better, my whole inner being is filled with such a depth of thankfulness that all of me – with my body, soul and spirit – can sing along, ”God is good – all the time!” I’ve known that the whole time, but now my whole being is united in that proclamation.

Dave Tidy, an old friend of ours, has come from England to visit Håkan. We drove together with Amelie and Daniel down to the hospital yesterday. Daniel told Håkan about his successful graduation party, and Amelie about the end-of-the-year assembly, when she sang and graduated from 9th grade. “God is good – all the time!”

We read, prayed, and took turns conversing. Dave and Håkan had an English conversation, while I spoke with the nurse. The gang went and got something to eat, so Håkan and I could be alone for a little while. There are many things that have happened that Håkan is getting more and more clarity about now. Several of his questions got cleared up, and as he expressed it, “It was very important for me to get clarity in that.”

I could kiss Håkan on the cheek for the first time; his cheeks have become so nice. “God is good - all the time!”

Please pray with us for Håkan:
1. His eye operation
2. No infections
3. The remaining 2-4% sores on his back
4. His processing of the accident

Thanks for being there for us now.
Bless you!
Hugs,
Gunilla

Cozy day with Dad

Mom said that I chirped on the telephone when I rang her on the way home from Gothenburg, Sahlgrenska. I was so filled with my visit. At last, Dad has come closer to us. What a difference, to be able to just drive down in an afternoon like that, and then still have energy left over when I come home! Wonderful!

When I came in through the door and said ”Hi”, Dad answered at once, ”Is that Johanna?”, before he had even seen me. What a feeling! I got to decorate his room a little. His whole room in Linköping was full of photographs and drawings, but here the walls were completely white. It became more homey at once. I even read out of one of his favorite books, a prayer book. Then I got to help him with a meal. It feels so good to be able to do something for my fine Dad.

We talked about everything possible. He was very with it the whole time. He said that he had exercised a lot in recent days. “They’re pushing me hard here!” He even told me about his helicopter ride, and he thought it was okay, but he was so tired afterward. That’s understandable! We even got into the night of the 3rd of March. For the first time, he told about how he went down the stairs and how he managed to get out of the house with Mom’s help. He stopped briefly, and then said that “It is, of course, fantastic that everyone got off as well as they did! Although, I did get a bit, of course.”

Yes, beloved Dad, he really did get it. But I am so proud of him – how he has managed to get through this – against all odds! And to see the difference now, only from last Saturday, was fantastic, both in how the skin has become nicer, but even in how much we could share with each other. We really had a cozy time, just Dad and I.

I want to close by directing a special thanks to everyone who is with us in thoughts, prayers and nice gestures. They are really needed!

Many warm greetings
Johanna

Hallelujah!! Praise God!!

Now I want to ”Praise God,” so I burst out in a ”Hallelujah!” “Hallelujah” means “Praise God!”

When Håkan came out of the house the night it burned, he couldn’t see anything. During the time he was sedated, Håkan had salve all over his face, so when he started waking up more and more, he could see, but it was hard to know how much.

In the beginning, I thought that if only Håkan survives I’ll be satisfied, but because he reads many hours a day, I thought I’d have to sit several hours a day and read for him in the future.

Now the staff down in Gothenburg has examined Håkan’s eyes and he can see. There isn’t any damage to the cornea. Hallelujah! The rods and cones will get better, but it can take time.

Now you understand why I want to ”praise the Lord” a little extra this evening. The Lord is worthy of all praise and an extra “Hallelujah!”

Today Håkan has been washed and his bandages redressed, without anesthesia. It took four hours, but it went well, so they have worked with his hands in warm water.

This evening we had the end-of-the-year assembly for the school. It was the first time in the school’s 15-year history that Håkan wasn’t there. When our girls sang, it felt a little empty without him, but inwardly I started thanking God that Håkan is alive and that he’s getting better day by day. Hallelujah!

“Lord, You are more precious than silver. Lord, You are more costly than gold. Lord, You are more beautiful than diamonds, and nothing I desire compares to You.”

Thank you, beloved friends and siblings, for being there, praying with us when needed, and thanking God with us for all small and large wonders. Hallelujah!

God bless you all!
Hugs,
Gunilla

The big move – this is great!

Håkan has been in Linköping since Tuesday the 3rd of March. The first month, he was sedated; after that he’s recovered little by little, against all odds. This is great! Thank you Father in heaven!

”When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, …what is man that you are mindful of him, …” Psalm 8:3-4

The days go by, become weeks, which soon turn into months… Håkan, without a respirator, means that the intensive care period is finished. Now he’ll continue to heal, without the constant supervision he’s had all these months.

Håkan still has one important operation to go, around his right eye, so then he’ll be anesthetized and of course back on a respirator. They can do that operation just as well at Sahlgrenska.

On Monday, Håkan was visited by Ulla-mi and Janne Rosman, who prayed for Håkan’s move, together with Håkan Eriksson. It was such a joy for them to see the change that has taken place.

The big move – this is great!
At 4:45 pm today, Tuesday, 98 days after the fire, Håkan took his place on a stretcher in a helicopter and rode to Säve Airport, where an ambulance met him and drove him to Sahlgrenska. The trip went well, and around 6 pm he was in place in his new room at the hospital. I must confess that I was a little nervous about the big move. Thank you, Lord, for answering our prayers! It is “suuuuper great”, as they say here.

Now Håkan is closer to home, so it’s extra important that all visits to Håkan go through me. Then it will go well and there will be order in Håkan’s days.

A big thanks to all of you who have prayed for Håkan’s big move to the west coast.

Thanks for all love, all prayers and thoughts you’re sending up to God! I continue to feel borne…thanks, all you wonderful, loving friends. You mean so much to us.

Bless You!!
Hugs,
Gunilla

Hopefully the last trip to Linköping!

Today Inger, Samuel and I drove up to Linköping. We picked up Lillan on the way.

We went in hopes that Håkan would be awake so we could talk to him, but the visit didn’t start out so well. They had given him a workout in the morning, so he was very tired when we showed up just before noon. He dozed off, so it was difficult to make contact with him. We decided to go out and eat so Håkan could rest up.

When we came back, they had taken him out to the TV room. Then he was completely awake and he recognized us at once.

It is so good to see how nicely everything is healing, how nice his face will be. We also saw his hands and feet. What a fantastic job the doctors have done. We thank God.

Håkan is breathing on his own, without the respirator, and that’s going really well. He was really with it the whole time.

Suddenly, Lotta and Dan showed up. Dan explained to Håkan that the renovation of the house had started and what they had done. Håkan asked Dan a bunch of questions and Dan explained very well, so that Håkan understood.

Before we left Håkan, he prayed with us. It was a very powerful experience to hear how Håkan prayed for his family, siblings, and friends. Lotta finished with a prayer for Håkan’s continued improvement. We thank God for the great things we experienced today.

Before we left, Lillan thanked the nurses for their nice work with Håkan, but they said it was Håkan who was responsible for everything.

Now we can drive to Gothenburg instead. Hopefully they will move Håkan to Gothenburg on Tuesday.

God bless all of you who have been such a strong support for Håkan’s family and siblings.

Continue to pray that everything continues in the same fantastic way.

PSALM 86:6 ”Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer; And attend to the voice of my supplications.”

PG (Håkan’s brother)

What successful days!

On Thursday we had a very successful graduation party, first for Daniel. When we heard it should rain, we agreed to pray that it would let up between noon and 6 pm, and so it did! Five minutes to 6 the rain came, but then we were finished with the graduation party under the pavilion in our backyard, down by the river. Completely successful!!!

Later in the evening, together with the Sääf, König and Bergström families, we had a graduation party for our five handsome guys, all of whom had just graduated. Two nice parties! Daniel commented afterward that everything was beyond expectation. At the same time they were working and tearing out things in the house, we hung up balloons and inflatable life buoys, which spoke about life, party and future for our family. Completely successful!!!

On Friday, after working at school, we drove to Örebro. Linnea graduated from high school and Josef from university, so there were two more parties with relatives and friends. We stayed overnight there, so we could go on to Linköping today.

Rebecca, our daughter, looked in on Dad in the morning, and we, Johanna, Josefina and I, got there an hour later. Håkan sat up in his chair, without the respirator. We got to be there for that fantastic moment when the staff took the respirator out of the room, since Håkan doesn't need it anymore. What a day! After 95 days, he is free from the respirator and can breathe on his own. What a successful day!

Next week they want to move Håkan to Sahlgrenska Hospital in Gothenburg. It will be easier for us to visit then - 7 hours less each trip. We are so thankful to God and all the great staff.

We sang, read out of a devotional book and Ps. 103 from the Bible. We prayed for Håkan's body, soul and spirit. We were there a long while without any staff present, for the first time. What a successful day!

We drove home to Uddevalla, tired, but satisfied and thankful. Thank God for these successful days!!!

God bless you all!!! We continue to pray for Håkan!
Hugs,
Gunilla

The big job!

One of our boys, Daniel, who came to us more than six years ago – then a shy little boy – is now graduating. We talked about graduation day and he wanted to be in our yard at the house. That’s how “the big job” came about.

I have clipped the hedge – which Håkan is best at, used the trimmer for the first time – that was Håkan’s job, and the grass has been cut – even though our mower didn’t start for the season. It’s noticeable that Håkan isn’t at home, but when everything was finished, I thought that Håkan surely would have been proud now.

At the same time as the big job of clearing out the house is taking place, a lot has happened in the yard. Cement slabs, flowerbeds were weeded, and herbs and flowers were planted in pots.

Down by the river, Dan and Marcus have built a large balcony on the little cottage. For the graduation party, we have bought two pavilions, which the guys built a floor for – it turned out really nice. At the same time, Blanco repaired the stairs down to the river. Talk about “a big job”!

A strange feeling – all that is happening at the same time as Håkan, in Linköping, is fighting in his own way to come back to a normal life. Håkan will get a cork in the hole on his neck, so he can breathe right. All the blood levels are normal, and yesterday he sat in the chair for many hours, without the respirator. So talk about successes on many levels. This is, of course, “the big job” for Håkan also.

The operation was delayed again – the one on the right eyelid – so now they have worked hard on getting the lungs going, with everything that involves: training, training, and more training. Håkan is really motivated – he wants to come back, and that means training hard. Please pray for Håkan’s training, that it will succeed.

Johanna and I are going to Örebro for the kids’ cousin Linnea’s graduation. We’ll spend the night there and drive by Linköping on the way home. I’ll write a report on the blog after that trip.

A big thanks to everyone who has helped with ”the big job” at the house – I’m so thankful, because I never could have done it without you.

If I think that we are going to our big allotment-garden, that the little cottage by the river is our allotment-garden cottage, then it is easier to be there, because the yard needs to be kept up anyway, and we need it also.

Pray for Håkan’s lungs, operation and move – that everything happens at the right time. Thanks again for all support and prayer and all hugs. Your love means so much!

God bless you all! God is so good!
Hugs,
Gunilla